Reflections

Whitney Dellinger

I came to El Salvador not knowing what to expect. I started out really nervous about the situation because I had never been to Central America and wasn't able to speak Spanish but I was also very excited about it all. Every day I learned more about the country and the people in it, and every day, I learned a lot about myself. I loved working on the fence in Santa Marta, which was a fun project and also challenging at times. It felt great to show the other workers that a bunch of American girls could do the same work that they could. Each person in the community had his or her own unique personality and own story about the war. It was easy to see that it had affected everyone in the community greatly. It was surprising and touching to see how kind and hospitable everybody was. Julia, Aida, Vidalina, the family I stayed with and so many others welcomed us into their homes and shared what they could with us, which is not something I am used to back in the United States. The main thing I will remember from this is that language is not as great a barrier between people as I once thought. I realized that when two people don't speak the same language, it does not stop them from having a connection and a friendship. I learned so much from the people of El Salvador about their lives and about my own without knowing more than about ten words of Spanish, and that is one of the main reasons that I want to return next year. I will always remember the friendships that I gained while in El Salvador because those friendships did not require us to speak the same language, and that is the first time that I have not needed to speak to someone to have a strong relationship with them. My memories of El Salvador are like no other memories that I have ever had.

Michaela Sachs

This was my second trip to El Salvador, and not my last. Santa Marta has become a part of me, and it is something I cannot and will not forget. Before this trip, I kept thinking that throughout my time there, I would be comparing this experience to the one I had last year. I thought that I could never have an experience as great as I did last year, but upon returning, I found that I was wrong. This year's trip was so different that the two years are hard to compare. This year I had even more fun, and I learned more when I thought all that was to be learned I had learned last year. I had been looking forward to bathing in the pilas by the river. I never did get to do that this year, but I did get to see how much the community needed and now appreciates their new source of water in their homes. We also had the opportunity to visit two communities that were hurt by the two earthquakes. Even though we can't help them very much financially, I am glad that we got the chance to see what has happened and the poverty that was made even worse by these natural disasters. I hope that next year, there will be another delegation coming to Santa Marta so that I can be a part of it, because I have to go back. I can only hope that we will have such great coordinators, and that Kelly and Laura will still be able to come back with us, and the everyone will have as good a time as I did.

Lizzie Hubley

Contemplating how I am going to sum up two intense, amazing, and inspiring weeks has taken up almost all of my thoughts since I got on the plane to come home. It seems that no matter how hard I try I can't find words to even begin to express all of my experiences and feelings I had in El Salvador. There are moments that constantly run through my head like my own personal slideshow of memories and feelings. Along with them the song Imagine is always playing- which I believe truly sums up how I wish the world could be. I see a life of pain and struggle being fought with hope and love not because it has to be, but because there is so such promise and possibility in this world. No hell below us, Above us only sky I see all of us gringas, covered with dirt and dripping with sweat, and smiling not because we're thinking about taking a shower, but because it's all so real. I see a woman with a jug of water on her head and a little girl at her side glowing not because the water is heavy, but because of her love for her child. I see a young man who just arrived home from the fields beaming not because he gets to rest, but because now he can feed his family. I see little boys with matching uniforms playing and laughing not because school is over, but because they know they have their whole lives ahead of them. I see teenagers organizing community projects and looking positively joyful, not because they like planting trees, but because they are making a difference in the lives of all the people around them. There are so many images and emotions from the trip that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Knowing all that I have learned and will continue to learn from the Salvadoran people truly astounds me. Looking ahead at my life, this trip has really given me a clear sense of what I want to do. I don't know I'm going to get there yet, but I know that somehow, someway I will make a difference in this crazy world! After all, "You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one."

IMAGINE

by John Lennon

(sung by teens at the goodbye party)

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us, above us only sky.
Imagine all the people
Living for today.

Imagine there's no countries,
it isn't hard to do,
nothing to kill or die for,
and no religion too.
Imagine all the people,
living life in peace.

You….you may say I'm a dreamer,
but I 'm not the only one.
I hope some day you'll join us,
and the world will be as one.

Imagine no possessions,
I wonder if you can.
No need for greed or hunger,
a brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people,
sharing all the world.

You…you may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day you'll join us,
and the world wll live as one.

(upon translation by Kelly into Spanish, the intent of this song was met with great applause from the Salvadorans gathered).

Dorothy Boehm

Nothing could prepare me for the life-changing experiences I had in El Salvador. Nothing could prepare me for the huge effect those experiences would have in my life. One experience that I will never forget is the last night when we stood in front of a room filled with Salvadorans and sang "Imagine" by John Lennon. As we were singing, I looked around the room. I saw the faces of many generations, all with their own stories to tell --stories about the war, stories about the earthquake-- and I realized that the song "Imagine" fit perfectly with our trip and our purpose for being there.

Now whenever I sit in my room and listen to "Imagine" it helps me to remember all of the experiences I had while I was in El Salvador. I remember the painful stories about the war, and the stories of the earthquake. I remember the poverty, the little children with torn clothes and bare feet, and the girls playing soccer with nothing but flip-flops. I remember laughing and joking with my family. Even though my Spanish is not very good, we found a way to understand each other. I remember hearing stories about the Jesuit priests and their housekeepers and the story of how and why they were killed. I have so many memories from our trip and I know that I will never forget the people I've met, the stories I've heard, or the places I've seen in El Salvador.

Amanda White

At the final meeting before we left for El Salvador, a man named Juan Romagoza came to speak with us. I didn't really know what he was going to say. In fact, I don't think he even knew what kind of "farewell advice" he would give to this group of teenage girls who were about to embark on a life-altering journey. I had been at this final meeting for what seemed like hours now, and while I wanted to be interested in what this man was saying, it was hard to keep myself from losing focus. He told us one thing, however, that stuck with me through the entire trip and will stick with me forever: When the war was over, the community of Santa Marta had no therapists or psychologists to let them talk about the war and had no one to mentally heal them- the people had to be their own therapists, and they had to heal each other. The most important thing that we could do on the trip in El Salvador would be to listen to their stories, and let them know that there are people who care and want to help. That was probably the most important thing I took away from any meeting we had- but I didn't truly understand what he meant until I entered Santa Marta. I came to the community nervous, and excited, and basically unsure as to what I was really getting myself into. One night at Aida's (the amazing woman who cooked for us), I began to truly understand Mr. Romagoza's words. We were being told a history of Santa Marta that ended up being an account of the tortures of the war. A man told us how his uncle was found tortured and dead by the side of a river; Aida told us that men were burned alive and women's fetuses were taken; people mentioned how hard it is to talk about these things because they haven't completely recovered from the trauma of the war. I then looked around the table and saw Chico, and Daisy, and Aida, some of the most eloquent and amazing people I have ever met- I saw them breaking down in tears, I saw the most horrifying moments of their lives flash by in their eyes. What I saw was no therapist running to analyze their problems- I saw them looking deep within to cope with what they had gone through. The eyes that I saw that night were the most beautiful and terrifying eyes I have ever seen- no psychiatrist could ever comprehend what they had faced. I was happy that I could be there to try and understand the people of Santa Marta, but I was sad that they had to be understood in that way; I was sad that they had to keep those moments lingering in their minds every day of their lives. So from then on, I tried to listen, but it was hard- it was hard to communicate, and it was at many times hard to fully grasp. There is so much to be learned from the people of El Salvador. Their luxuries, their poverty, their sadness, and their happiness- they are all so different from ours. I learned so much, and I can learn so much more. That is why I must go back; I must go back and show them that I am one of those people that care and want to help- I want to live up to the words of Mr. Romagoza and I want to LEARN MORE. But if that is not possible, I know that I and the eight other amazing girls will never forget this trip and this life changing experience.

Ilona Carroll

I was ecstatic when I found out I was able to go on this year's El Salvador delegation since I had missed it last year and almost did this year. Due to certain conflicts, I ended up joining at the last minute- which was one of the best things I ever did. For me it is hard to put feelings into words, and many of the reflections here have said it all for me, so I will instead recount a part of an amazing trip instead of summing up the entire two weeks (which would most likely go on at length).

One of the experiences we had was a day trip to Cubias and Jerusalen, two places which were hit hard by the earthquakes in January and February. I was curious and apprehensive at first as to what we would encounter since I hadn't really understood the impact of the earthquakes. When we arrived at our first destination, Cubias, there were some chairs and desks under a tarp in front of a blackboard. We asked one of the little girls if it was her school and she said yes. While walking to one of the newly-built homes (thanks to ADES), I talked to one of the local women about what her experience was. She told me that she had just gotten out in time before she saw her home of mud and straw become dust while her handicapped child played elsewhere. I asked her about what food they had, since there was no longer an emergency need, and she said she was barely living off the corn they had. The conversation continued as we saw the new small mud and wood houses, but the inhabitants were just as poor as they had been before. I asked myself how on earth these people handled losing the little they had to a natural disaster. I wondered how people survived in these remote houses, and how happy they were to see people who might give them a chance at a better life. I left Cubias feeling sad that they suffered such a loss, but hopeful that things were getting a little bit better.

Jerusalen, another earthquake site that we visited that day, was completely different. As we came into town on our truck, we passed corrugated-metal shelters, ones donated by the government, but which were very hot inside. Some people said, as we got off the truck, that the streets used to be completely covered with dust and rubble, but fortunately this was cleaned up. We entered the church, which was missing part of its roof, and had several cracks. Next to it was the makeshift church where we sat for a meeting with the people in charge of rebuilding the church. It amazed me that not only had community members come together to form this committee, but that they were able to get cement blocks and bricks to build a temporary chapel so they would be able to continue their worship. They explained that some families were able to receive housing from the Salvadoran government or the Israeli Embassy, but it was difficult to rebuild on land that was not officially theirs. This is a complicated issue where many families might not be able to receive permanent houses, and they might have to look elsewhere for a place to live. The emotions already present from Cubias were tugged more as we heard about how Jerusalen and the surrounding areas were affected. Later, we walked around to see what had become of Jerusalen. It was now mainly composed of small corrugated-metal houses, white, Israeli-issued houses, new homes, and rubble left from places like the clinic and the mayor's offices. Thoughts about how much courage and hope the Salvadoran people had, and what it would be like for me if I had gone through the same thing, crossed my mind. What if? I left Jerusalen with a deep respect for the people who lived in the country. They go through war, earthquakes, drought, and hurricanes, but somehow they survive with some hope still left, and the drive to make things better. I am amazed at their resilience and their ability to make it through hard times and still keep a head on their shoulders. That day, and the entire trip, left me with not only the desire to return, but a knowledge that there is hope, even if it may seem far away or unreachable. As John Lennon says " You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one�..the world will live as one"

Gwynyn Holobaugh

Traveling to El Salvador was a wonderful experience. It showed me very different lifestyles from what I see in America, let me connect with another culture and experience new things.

One thing that stands out in my mind from El Salvador is riding in the pickup trucks to visit the earthquake sites. While I really enjoyed the ride, I was also able to absorb a lot of different things. I saw different groups of homes and different ways of living. I also saw the beautiful landscape that makes up El Salvador. I loved seeing the mountains and trees. I also got a chance to talk to a couple people from ADES. It was fun talking to them and learning about their families and their background with ADES.

Another event that also stands out in my mind was the talent show and dance on our last night in Santa Marta. I had so much fun and I could tell the youth there were having fun too. They did skits, which were really funny, and did two other things: they put on some American twist music and started grabbing us to dance. I was pulled up to dance and it was so great! They were having a lot of fun and we taught them a few moves. Later, they put on some Backstreet Boys! They got off the stage (with guitars in their hands) and started lip-synching to the music. Again, I got pulled up to dance and Amanda and I were cracking up the whole time�.

Now as I am at home again looking back at my trip, I realize exactly how much I want to return. Every day, I look back on the trip and remember something or reflect on the contrasting cultures. While I am unable to go again next year, I know that sometime I will go back and I look forward to that very much.

Aleris Rodgers

Going to El Salvador was definitely a life-changing experience for me. I saw a totally different way of life. It's one thing hearing about poverty and suffering 2000 miles away. It's another being there and experiencing it first hand. Despite all the people of Santa Marta went through, they were very warm, welcoming and full of hope for a better future. It was very moving to hear them talk about the war. Even though the US played a major role in oppressing the Salvadorans, they didn't hold a grudge against us (they did blame our government). I learned a lot from the youth leaders of Santa Marta. I'll never forget playing soccer with the girls' soccer team! They were so much fun. I also enjoyed working closely with people from the village on the fence and other projects. At times they seemed so strong, like they didn't need us there, but I think they appreciated us coming because they saw that other countries are not pushing them aside.

Kelly Lubeck

During this summer stay in El Salvador, as always, the Salvadoran experience and people moved me. This was my fourth time coordinating a RRUC delegation with CoCoDa to El Salvador. Each year has provided unique opportunities for mutual learning, the deepening of cross-cultural exchange and understanding and for the strengthening of ties between our distinct communities and people.

It was inspiring to have the opportunity to coordinate the delegation of a group of strong, talented youth and capable adult leaders, and to observe and experience with them their reactions and perceptions of El Salvador, in some cases for the first time. This year was particularly special for me because not only was I able to work with a number of returning participants (3 youth, 2 adults) but I'd also had the opportunity to work with RRUC youth and the Montgomery Blair youth since early this year.

Coordinating these trips helps me to recall how El Salvador was for me the first times, and to see with fresh eyes the realities that have been such an important, integral part of my life for the past few years. To breathe the air, see the landscapes, hear the sounds and experience that reality and the charm of the people - to be reminded of when I first got "hooked" - helps to energize and motivate me.

There are so many moments of the two weeks we spent together that are inspiring and meaningful. One that was particularly memorable was the evening we had a Salvadoran-US youth exchange. About twelve youth leaders from our host community Santa Marta were invited to an evening exchange that included discussion of their activities and attitudes. Our group of tired gringas arrived on time for this activity, but questioned WHAT it was and WHY we were doing it, while they waited for the Salvadoran youth to trickle in, not surprisingly 30 to 60 minutes late. After everyone was finally in place and each presented him/herself through an icebreaker game, we had everyone write questions on pieces of paper to be directed to the other group. They were encouraged to ask about love, sex, life, culture, any burning question they had wanted to know of the other culture but perhaps been afraid to ask.

Once the exchange of questions and answers began, we became witnesses to a dynamic dialogue of radical youth voices and ideas, about varying themes such as class discrimination, homosexuality, sex, corporate control of the media, northern domination of politics, economics and even culture in El Salvador and the possibility of similar youth exchanges in the United States. These youthful perspectives and dynamism provide true inspiration. Hearing intelligent, organized questions and responses, real concerns and hopeful perspectives from two groups of youth from very different worlds helped give me hope for the possibilities of our futures, linked as they are. And this 3-hour exchange of 25-30 people in a small rural Salvadoran community where people live off the corn and beans they grow on their lands and have known tragedies we cannot imagine, spoke to me of the real possibilities of the globalization of hope, of democracy, of concrete social change and of the construction of strong, positive alliances across borders.

 A Goodbye Limerick for Kelly

Our delegation has come to an end
But we've got one big thank you to send
To Kelly our queen,
Our own lean machine, 
She brought heart to each teen that she'd tend.

Though we spent 14 days without tele, 
And we suffered a bit in the belly, 
We will never forget
The reality we met, 
In Santa Marta guided by Kelly.

Maggie Henry

The experience of El Salvador was amazing. It was the most real place I have ever been. Real in the sense that I was aware of all the things I take for granted at home. All my senses were alert and it was as if my body did not want to miss a thing. My mind too was racing to take everything in, all the incredible sights and emotions. The level of emotion put into everything we were presented with was beautiful. I feel as if I haven't earned my life. That I need to find something, anything, to feel that passionately about. And someday, I hope to be as eloquent and articulate as the youth leaders were. But all of this self discovery would never have occurred without this trip. It was truly the greatest thing I have ever done. And every time I tell someone about it, I feel that I have given back a little more to the people I met in Santa Marta.

Don Chery

Since making my first RRUC Youth -Adult delegation trip to Santa Marta, El Salvador in 1996, I have been struck by the changes that I see each time I return. To begin with, there was a major change in the youth composition of our delegation - all young women, 6 from RRUC and 3 from Students for Global Responsibility at Blair High School.

Arrival at the airport found all construction completed and a very long expanse of terminal with at least 16 boarding gates. On to a different guesthouse for the delegation, the Oasis run by Carolina and Damian Alegria. These persons were the most interesting guesthouse owners that we have had so far in our visits. Damian (his war name) was a commander of FMLN forces during the civil war and is now working as an economist and director of a small NGO assisting development in El Salvador. Several interesting people were passing through their establishment and he is a most interesting and knowledgeable person. On to Sensuntepeque for our orientation with ADES, the Salvadoran NGO that works with CoCoDA in arranging our delegation visit and service projects. ADES informs us that they have undergone a re-organization this past year and now they can respond and perform their mission better. Also the road to Sensuntepeque is being paved and by this time next year, I suspect that we will see it completed. On to Santa Marta, we enter by a new route coming directly onto the campo by Lydia's house. Each house now has water piped to the pila in each yard and a new composting outhouse. A wonderful feature of the new outhouses is that they are large enough for a gringo like myself to fit inside without stooping. Also many homes have built a bathing area next to the pila, thus no more early morning walks to the bathing springs. The old way was a nice ritual, but the new way is much more convenient. More houses now have fences around them with entrances to the yard by a fancy steel gate that is obviously very much desired. Every year there are more new substantial houses replacing the old adobe/dirt floor houses. Hamid and I were housed in a new addition to a relatively new house of cinder block and nice tile floors. Another significant change in this community was represented by our hosts, Vitalia and Gregorio Lainez, who are illiterate, but their children in the home with us, Teresa (17) and Jerber (about 10), are literate and excelling in a full school curriculum.

At the Escuela 10 de Octubre (the community school with over 1200 students and 40+ volunteer teachers), we found the computer room finished, air conditioned like a freezer and all ten computers set up and running with a training program for teachers and students. There is a new instructor (on the job just a week and half), William Orlando Alejo, who seems quite capable as an instructor and competent with the computers. We departed having rearranged the computers, networked them, connected the two printers to the network, cleaned up the software on the computers, set the UPS to proper functioning, reduced the AC to a reasonable level and assessed the additional needs for the system. The school has a new principle, now provided by the Ministry of Education. The school children are now wearing uniforms. Plans are underway to construct a high school building, hopefully near the present school complex.

The warmth, hospitality and talent of the people have not changed. They said good-by to us with the most amazing show of wit and talent. It was another good year of solidarity and learning.

Charlotte Carroll

"� .seven, eight, nine." Good! We had them all, I thought as the delegation's self-appointed sweep, which demanded constant counting as we moved from San Salvador to Victoria to Sensuntepeque to Santa Marta to Cubias and Jerusalem (earthquake recovery sites) back to Santa Marta and San Salvador. The visit to Villa Victoria for Radio Victoria's anniversary fiesta brought us many familiar faces, and a few new ones too (a Peace Corps couple who teach in Santa Marta). Fortunately I was able to convey to my hostess-to-be's family in time that I wanted to be in a shared bedroom when we got to Santa Marta (otherwise it would have been me alone in one room and Lydia and her six children in the other!). Santa Marta shows signs of progress with the water connections and computer center, but the road there is still difficult, there are still no phone lines into the town (and hence still no chance for internet connections at the school's computer center) and trash disposal remains a distant dream (but now town members are talking about it).

This community has done so much in a collaborative way, but this trip, I got a little inside look at how time-consuming this approach is. A foreign donor had offered to fund a much-needed high school building if Santa Marta will provide the land. One neighborhood council rejected donating the ideal site. Rather than live with that decision though, Lydia, now the assistant principal, organized a meeting of the relevant neighborhood's parents, teachers, and high school students to ask if this decision really reflects the community's feelings. They voted on ballots designed for illiterate as well as literate parents, and the results are stunning: 63 for the ideal site, and only 2 for a faraway undesirable alternative.

I was able to help with interpreting this time, a real privilege and challenge (as I am trying to develop this skill for use in Washington). One evening, we were listening to a community leader tell us the history of Santa Marta, their flight to Honduras pursued by government forces and their organized return to become a resettled community as a result of the Peace Accords. I conveyed what seemed like a simple question from our delegation: "Didn't you all miss, during those eight years in Honduras as refugees, tending the graves of your ancestors back in El Salvador. "Oh, yes" replied Luis, the history teller. "And it was also hard not to be able to bury all our relatives who were killed or drowned along the way as we fled across the river. Then, in Honduras, we were not allowed outside the refugee camp perimeter those years. Anyone who tried 'disappeared.' My family got a secret visit once" Luis continued matter-of-factly "from a sympathetic Honduran farmer who had come upon the body of my uncle. This uncle had become very traumatized by all that happened and had wandered out of the camp. When we came upon his body at the river's edge, he had been bound, tortured, and drowned in the river. All we could do was quickly bury him there at the riverbank, so we could hurry back to camp before the Honduran armed forces found us outside." I was concentrating on interpreting all of this in Luis' calm tone of voice but then glanced over my shoulder at the other Santa Martans who had come along to hear their story�.and saw their tears were flowing. As one said later, "Each of us has a story to tell more or less as painful as this one."

As Chico, the head of ADES, said upon our departure, there are many differences between the people of Santa Marta and those who come on delegations, but we can always see at the end that we share the same hopes and feelings and emotions.

Poem by Rolando "Tito" Gonzalez
(in honor of our delegation's visit)


Nuestro pueblo
Nuestra historia
Y nuestra gente
Son como libro abierto
Que al leerse con amor�
Nunca se olvida.

Our town,
Our history
And our people
Are like an open book
Which, when read with love,
Is never forgotten�.

Hamid Aziz

I joined a delegation of 9 youth and 3 adults to visit a remote village, Santa Marta, in a remote province, Cabanas, in a remote country, El Salvador. Joining the delegation honored me, and I came back with humility, an open heart, and love and admiration for that country, and for its people and for that village.

Since RRUC 'adopted' Santa Marta as a sister community, they have organized teen and adult delegations to visit the village, experience the life there, listen to their stories, and possibly do some 'good.' This year, the delegations did a lot of 'good': built a fence around a community clinic, planted trees on a denuded mountain, and streamlined computers in the small computer center. In between doing 'good', the delegation met with a lot of people and listened to their personal and communal histories. The delegation developed fond friendships, and returned with empathy for the country and for the people struggling to undo the damages of civil war and that of history.

El Salvador's civil war lasted all of the 1980s and brought death, destruction, and large numbers of refugees fleeing across the border to Honduras. The war - arising from serious inequalities within Salvadoran society -- ended with the 1992 Peace Accords, negotiated by the international community. Refugees returned to rebuild their lives. The US, a supporter of the government forces during the civil war, has funded only a tiny share of rebuilding efforts, compared to the financing of the government during the war. I compare this history with that of my birth country, Pakistan, and of Afghanistan today. Various non-governmental organizations and churches are undertaking small projects. I met with the members of five different churches undertaking whatever they thought would benefit the folks, though I was saddened to learn that one church group came only to impart the word of God, not technical know-how that could make their life bearable.

Our arrival at San Salvador airport was quite impressive. I was expecting a dilapidated building and bureaucratic, bribe-demanding officials, but the airport was spiffy, staffed by young and efficient customs and immigration personnel. We were soon greeted by Kelly Lubeck and Laura Chinn, our CoCoDa coordinators. They had thought of every thing! Kelly's organizational skills, her people skills, her language skills are phenomenal. She even arranged that, during our stay, it would rain only at night! Blessed are the organizations she associates with.

We knew, as soon as we left the airport building, that we were not in Kansas anymore. The minibus came not with just a driver but an assistant and two policemen with serious weapons to guard us. They were amiable chaps, with their own stories to tell. I learned a great deal from their descriptions of their lives, their jobs, their observations as policemen, and as working people. They escorted us whenever we were outside of Santa Marta.

I had taken upon myself to talk in depth with as many persons as possible, and from as many walks of life as possible. The hosts at the San Salvador guesthouse, Caroline and Damian Alegria, made themselves available. During the four days of stay in their guest house, I listed to this ex-captain of guerrilla forces (FMLN), his trials and tribulations of surviving in the rebel camps and his zeal to maintain no-violence toward the enemy, as much as possible. His humanity, his knowledge of business and economics, his joie de vivre left a deep impression upon me. I met others from ADES (a local NGO) who have endured much, and are engaged with great zeal in rebuilding and development efforts. From my limited observations, I'd say this is the land of dedicated, committed people.

Santa Marta is new village, constructed by the people after they returned from exile of about 8 years ago. About half the village houses are made from mud brick and half from cement blocks. The cement-block houses either belong to the former combatants, or the families who have a member in USA, earning money and sending remittances home. To see these houses, and their (new) water supply and latrines is to admire the practice of 'appropriate' technology, appropriate for that place, time, adequacy and cost. The local elementary-middle level school, with over 1000 children learning in shifts, acts as a community center also. Every day, I saw various meetings of community folks. I was told that all sorts of affairs are discussed, from education to health care, poetry to history. It was most impressive to see these meetings and discussions take place without rancor.

Don Chery and I were unable to participate in the fence building and tree planting projects, because we worked in the computer room the whole time. RRUC has supplied the school (and the community) with 10 computers and 2 printers. We established a network and streamlined the software on these computers. It took us about six days of work. Ultimately, computers were humming, sharing printers, and impressing teachers and administrators with the room re-arrangement. It was long, but satisfying work.

Santa Marta is resurrecting itself. I am glad to witness its initial phases of evolution. I look forward to going back soon.